The evolution of the iPhone

The iPhone has been Apple’s flagship product since its inception in early 2007. Having spent around 150 million dollars, filing more than 200 patent applications, and purchasing iphone.com for a measly 1 million dollars, one wouldn’t expect it to be anything less.

Once billed by Apple founder Steve Jobs as “a revolutionary and magical product”, the iPhone has made significant strides since it was first unveiled in 2007.

The first three iPhone models looked fairly similar, and it was only in 2010 that the form of the phone changed with the introduction of the flatter, more rectangular iPhone 4.

In 2011 the iPhone 4S included impressive new features including the iCloud, iMessage and the intelligent personal assistant, Siri.

The iPhone 5 arrived in 2012, thinner, lighter and significantly faster than its predecessors, and the following year Apple made a major stylistic departure from the muted tones of previous handsets with the bright plastic iPhone 5c.

The much-hyped iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus made their debut in 2014, with the iPhone 6 Plus display measuring a whopping 5.5in – but Apple fans the world over are already holding out for the next model.

The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus were unveiled in 2015, featuring pressure-sensitive 3D Touch technology, an improved 12MP camera and a new rose gold colour.